Changes in the way that media content, such as television (TV) program content for example, can be accessed by consumers has given those consumers a level of choice over their entertainment options that were unavailable to previous generations of TV viewers. Due, for example, to technology innovations enabling consumers to access TV program content using platforms other than traditional TV sets and through distribution channels other than traditional TV broadcasts, viewers now have considerable control over where and by what means they will view their programming of choice. For instance, the ever-increasing variety of program content available over the Internet has enabled viewers to selectively view TV program content using a personal computer (PC) or gaming platform at home, rather than through use of a traditional home based TV set, or through use of a mobile communication device while traveling or otherwise away from home.
The increased viewing options for consumers of TV program content have created significant challenges for content providers attempting to generate revenue though use of advertising or promotions typically delivered with the program content. For example, contractual agreements covering compensation for advertising delivered over a particular distribution channel, such as a linear TV broadcast, may not apply when the same advertising content is delivered using an alternative distribution channel, such as the Internet. Moreover, Internet Protocol (IP) distribution channels offer the hitherto largely unrealized potential to provide individually targeted advertising and/or promotional content to consumers on a household-by-household or viewer-by-viewer basis.